Balancing Heritage Conservation & Renewable Energy:
Preserving the Past, Powering the Future
There is a delicate equilibrium between preserving our rich cultural legacy and embracing the imperative to adopt renewable energy solutions in the United Kingdom. Whilst this is undeniable, such development can also offer great opportunities to investigate and understand landscapes that have hitherto not been the subject of professional assessment.
The Balance of Heritage Conservation and Renewables
Before delving into the intricacies of renewable energy development, it is paramount to acknowledge the significance of heritage conservation. Our historic sites, buildings, and landscapes serve as invaluable repositories of our collective identity, culture, and history. They are finite resources, to be cherished and safeguarded for the enjoyment of present and future generations. Once lost, they cannot be reclaimed.
However, the preservation of our built and archaeological heritage faces myriad challenges, including neglect, urbanisation, and the impacts of climate change. These challenges necessitate innovative approaches to ensure the protection of our cultural legacy for generations to come.
Renewables in the Landscape
Simultaneously, the imperative to transition towards renewable energy sources has become increasingly urgent in light of climate change and environmental degradation. Renewable energy offers sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels, mitigating carbon emissions, reducing our ecological footprint, and bolstering energy security. This imperative extends globally, as much as it resonates within our domestic markets. However, renewable energy schemes, often expansive in scale, can sometimes be perceived as encroaching upon culturally significant landscapes and vistas, sparking debates over visual impact and historical integrity. Nevertheless, these large-scale projects also present invaluable opportunities for heritage conservation, offering well-funded avenues to examine historic landscapes in detail and understand the intricate tapestry of human occupation over time.
Heritage Assessment Techniques
When considering the impact of renewable energy developments on heritage sites, a comprehensive desk-based assessment serves as a vital initial step. Leveraging historic and modern maps, along with data from various sources including Historic Environment Records maintained by Local Authorities, aerial photographs, LiDAR technology, and reports from archaeological investigations, heritage consultants can swiftly identify and assess potential impacts. Utilizing GIS mapping technology, features and points of interest unaffected by the proposed development can be delineated, aiding in site feasibility studies.
Site Visits
Despite the efficacy of desk-based investigations, on-the-ground site visits by experienced heritage consultants remain indispensable. These visits provide an opportunity to test assumptions made during desk-based assessments, record views across the landscape, and experience the setting of identified heritage assets firsthand. Such visits also facilitate the identification of tangible clues to past land use, such as earthworks.
Impact Assessment
A comprehensive assessment of potential impacts entails understanding both direct physical impacts from ground works and indirect impacts on the setting of heritage assets. For sites with known archaeological significance, non-invasive geophysical surveys or limited excavation may be necessary to gather fresh data and assess potential impacts accurately. Recommendations for design changes or alterations to construction methods may be proposed to mitigate negative impacts effectively.
After Planning Consent – Considerations
Following heritage and archaeological assessment, measures may be implemented to lessen or eliminate negative impacts. Design changes, avoidance of sensitive areas during ground works, installation of screening or buffer zones, and professional archaeological excavation techniques may be employed to safeguard heritage assets effectively.
In Conclusion
There is a meticulous process of assessing the impact of large-scale developments on the British landscape, whether from renewable energy projects or other development forms. What is recommended for all, is to undertake feasibility studies and heritage risk assessments as early as possible within the timeframe of the project and certainly before scheme designs are finalised. In this way developers can be sure that works will be comprehensive, correct and have the ability to save the project time and resources later on.
Author: Daniel Dodds, Associate Director.
See: Solar Farm, Devon Case Study